Jason O'Grady's Blog

I’m in the process of writing the Droid Pocket Guide and looking for input from you.

If you have any interesting Android/Droid stuff that you come across in your travels, please post it in the comments below or Tweet it to @jasonogrady.

I’m specifically interested in things that Android can do that the iPhone can’t (i.e. multi-processing, background apps, open platform, etc.), and:

• Augmented reality apps
• Innovative HTML5 web apps
• Geo-location apps
• Cool widgets
• Android Market – picks/disses/comedy/faults
• Tricks to do with the Droid’d 480 x 854 pixel,  WVGA screen

I’m also interested in interesting Android roots, hacks and mods — although not specifically for the book, more on a person level.

You can easily reset any nüvi and return it to factory new condition. This process is sometimes called a factory restore because it deletes all custom POI and favorites that have been stored on the device. This has been confirmed to work on the nüvi 700, 800, 1200, 1300 and 1400-series models.

• Power off the nüvi
• Press and hold the bottom-right corner of the touchscreen
• Power it on
• A prompt will ask you “are you sure you want to delete all user data?”

Choose wisely young jedi, there’s no undo

Another neat trick: You can access about a dozen pages of nüvi diagnostics by pressing and holding on the battery icon for three seconds.

Why buy the Michael Jackson memorial program from the oppotunistic jackals on eBay when you can download it for FREE.

I’m looking for a good pair of speakers for my home entertainment system.

I’ve got a TiVo HD XL with Comcast CableCard hooked to a plasma screen. I got my TiVo upgrade from WeaKnees.com, incidentally.

A friend (who’s a professional audio engineer) told me a few things about speakers and my quest:

• Speakers are localized. U.S. speakers sound different than German, UK and Japanese speakers. Each sounds different and U.S. OEMs tend to emphasize bass.

• Surround sound systems (5.1, 7.1, 9.1) are over-rated and generally are a waste of money. A pair of really good speakers is much better than lots of cheap speakers.

• It’s better to “go old school” and hook up a component amplifier with two quality speakers.

• Most of the big speaker brands (Bose, Infinity, Harmon Kardon, JBL, and their ilk) are contract manufactured abroad. Probably in a factory like this. Not that that’s bad or anything, it’s just that the speakers sound good and not great.

• He recommended that I find a small speaker company that doesn’t contract manufacture abroad, because they try harder and are hungrier. JL Audio appears to make some of their speakers in Miramar Florida.

Based on his advice I’m looking for a really good pair of speakers (ideally less than $500) that are made in the U.S. that I can connect to my amp (a Kenwood KR-V8540).

Any advice?

Update: Here’s a good list of loudspeaker manufacturers from Wikipedia.

Google is getting into the energy metering game and I for one, can’t wait. Will Atlantic City Electric get on the bandwagon and issue smart meters?

Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” and we believe consumers have a right to detailed information about their home electricity use. We’re tackling the challenge on several fronts, from policy advocacy to developing consumer tools, and even investing in smart grid companies. We’ve been participating in the dialogue in Washington, DC and with public agencies in the U.S. and other parts of the world to advocate for investment in the building of a “smart grid,” to bring our 1950s-era electricity grid into the digital age. Specifically, to provide both consumers and utilities with real-time energy information, homes must be equipped with advanced energy meters called “smart meters.” There are currently about 40 million smart meters in use worldwide, with plans to add another 100 million in the next few years.

Read on.

Mannie Garcia/ Shepard Fairey

One of the original 350 iconic “Hope” portraits of America’s 44th President by artist Shepard Fairey hangs in The National Gallery in Washington. D.C., and another recently sold at a charity auction for more than $200,000. But the portrait is also generating some controversy.

A segment on NFR’s All Things Considered on 5 February 2009 notes:

The Associated Press is alleging copyright infringement for an image of Barack Obama created by street artist Shepard Fairey. Fairey’s lawyers say the image is protected under fair-use provisions.

Margaret Esquenet, an intellectual-property lawyer with Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, a Washington, D.C., law firm, says several factors must be examined in the fair-use defense.

“The artist here would have a good argument that the photograph is factual; it’s of a real person at a real event in a news context,” Esquenet tells NPR’s Melissa Block. “It doesn’t appear that the photographer spent time posing or arranging the lighting or arranging the background … that would give it the creative elements that you’d normally see for a photograph.”

Telegraph UK reports:

Barack Obama will ride in an all-new Cadillac Presidential Limousine after his inauguration as the 44th President of the United States today.

He will use the vehicle, nicknamed the Beast, on the 1.7-mile journey from the Capitol along the parade route to the White House. It reportedly has armour eight inches thick, tear-gas cannons and Kevlar-reinforced tyres that resist attack. For security reasons, most of the details remain confidential.

Leftlane News adds some technical details about the president’s new ride noting that its “curb weight certainly exceeds 10,000 pounds thanks to all the armoring.”